Concept in Definition ABC

The word burst expresses something sudden and that occurs with a certain speed. It is applicable to diverse circumstances and it is worth taking a brief tour of them.

Divergences in atmospheric pressure

The wind manifests itself in a very heterogeneous way and, in fact, there are different categories. However, there is a very specific circumstance in which we refer to the wind: when a sudden and unexpected blow occurs due to pressure differences in the atmosphere. In these cases, a gust of wind appears, which can cause a door slam or an object fly off. In the context of studying the atmosphere it is important to measure the velocity of the wind. To do this, the average speed is calculated but it is also important to establish what has been the maximum speed at a given moment and, in these cases, we speak of bursts or bursts of wind.

In the field of light

The term burst is also used in the phenomenon of light. In this sense, certain flashes of light appear intermittently and are known as bursts, manifesting themselves in the

Photography, in certain vision alterations, in the emission of light from a headlamp or to warn in the night driving of vehicles. In waves other than light waves (for example, radio waves or different brain waves from sleep) they also appear as bursts in some cases.

Burst in arms

Burst is used in connection with a type of weapon, machine guns, which fire continuously. From a sound point of view, musical bursts are used to introduce information on the radio or television. And figuratively, if someone has a sensation fleeting and intense one could speak of a burst of joy, from sadness or any other feeling.

If we look at the etymology, there is no specific word from which burst comes, neither in Greek nor in Latin. However, it is curious that in other languages ​​very similar terms are used (raffica in Italian, rafale in French or refega in Portuguese).

The onomotopoeias

As its origin is unknown, the word burst is considered by some to be a species of onomatopoeia, that is, the imitation of a sound through a word. Noise-related onomatopoeia are very common in the language (achís, chissst, muac or meow) and it is possible that the loudness of the word burst explains its meaning. In fact, the different phenomena described above have a likeness with the sound that is produced when pronouncing the word burst.

Burst Topics